Today’s market is really competitive. It does not really matter in which industry you are standing in. If you can’t put yourself in the market, then you won’t be able to survive in the market. The same goes for the Auto retailing business. One needs to look for options to promote its car retailing business. Currently, one of the trending options is event marketing. Event marketing for dealership can open many opportunities for reaching out to customers and also increasing its web of connections and network. If you find yourself intrigued to find out more about dealership event then we’ll explore the world of event marketing specifically made for dealerships, sharing strategies and tips to help you accelerate your success in this fast-paced industry.
What is Dealership Event Marketing?
Event marketing for dealership refers to a series of promotional ideas and strategies. Car dealership event marketing can easily drive traffic, build awareness, and increase future sales. Additionally, it can bring in potential new customers and repeat customers. Overall, event marketing has been playing a bigger role in car dealership marketing. This event can improve your relationship with the community thus giving dealerships an opportunity to give back.
The key to great dealership event marketing lies in careful planning, looking into various dealership promotion ideas, and creating an engaging and memorable experience for attendees. These events should align with the dealership’s brand, values, and target audience to ensure maximum impact and return on investment.
Why is Event Marketing Important for Car Dealerships?
Event marketing is an essential strategy for automobile companies looking to enhance their brand presence, improve engagement with potential customers, and drive sales. The current automotive industry is very competitive. It is of utmost importance to be unique and stand out from the crowd. Event marketing for dealership allow car retailers to go above and beyond traditional advertising and allow them to connect with customers in a way that is not only personal and interactive. It gives a stage to present cars and illustrate features and solutions to participants. Through dealership event ideas, retailers can build better bonds with customers, and create trust in their brand image.
Furthermore, event marketing allows automotive companies and retailers to connect with a focused audience of prospective customers who have a preexisting interest in their offerings. Whether participating in industry-specific events or orchestrating custom-branded gatherings, retailers can be sure that they are interacting with individuals actively seeking insights and solutions relevant to their vehicles. This precision-focused strategy not only increases the likelihood of converting leads into sales but also optimizes the return on investment derived from event marketing endeavors. Additionally, Event marketing for dealership also contributes to the industry’s growth. By participating in these events, dealerships can connect with industry professionals, share knowledge, and even share automotive marketing ideas. This collaboration helps drive innovation and improve the overall industry standards. This also ultimately elevates the overall customer experience.
How To Make an Effective Car Dealership Sales Events
To have a car dealership sales event that is effective and successful, the customers need to believe and have trust in what they are being showcased. Repeating identical events can diminish customer interest, resulting in reduced attendance. Customers may delay attendance until they’re actively considering a car change or until they perceive a genuine sale event.
Event marketing for dealership can be effective through proper planning, following strategies, and implementing them. Irrespective of whether the event targets existing clientele or seeks to attract new customers, a successful sales event must convince attendees that it represents an unmissable opportunity for a stellar deal. Essential to this success is the presence of compelling car sales offers. Promising without delivering on huge sales events, customer expectations can undermine the dealership’s credibility, deter future engagement with event marketing, and inevitably result in lackluster sales.
It takes commitment, time, and resources for any dealership to create a great marketing event. Here are some tips and trips to make your car dealership event marketing great:
1. Focusing your efforts on customers who are most likely to be actively considering a purchase during the event will yield the highest conversion rates from mailer to appointment. This strategy not only prevents database exhaustion but also optimizes your marketing budget, ultimately resulting in a more favorable cost per sale.
2. Once you’ve found your ideal customers, the next step is to ensure your event message reaches them directly through channels like direct mail, email, and telephone outreach whenever feasible.
3. If your dealership lacks an in-house call center, consider the option of outsourcing this function for both prospecting and managing incoming customer calls, particularly when you anticipate significant demand. Outsourcing ensures that calls are handled professionally, prevents disruptions in the showroom, avoids overwhelming the reception desk, and eliminates the risk of unanswered calls.
4. Make sure you appoint a dedicated event coordinator, even when collaborating with an events company, to manage the event. This individual will serve as the point of contact with the events company and facilitate internal communication with your staff.
Types of Events You Can Host in Dealership Event Marketing
Events include a broad spectrum of forms and dimensions, from trade shows and conferences to product unveilings and immersive experiential marketing initiatives. The primary aim of a car dealership is to craft an engaging experience that excites attendees, ensuring they depart with a lasting and memorable perception of the business. Following car dealership promotion ideas will help you attract more customers
1. Free car wash
While it may seem straightforward, automotive dealership event marketing concepts like this have a solid appeal to customers. Individuals are consistently drawn to offerings that simplify their lives, and a complimentary car wash is no different.
Providing a free car wash to every customer who brings their vehicle in for service is a compelling idea, especially as an incentive to attract new clients. This event concept can be seamlessly integrated into the calendar, particularly during the spring season, strategically targeting customers with vehicles yearning for a refreshing clean after the harsh winter months.
2. Host and sponsor local events
Hosting a local event represents a unique car dealership event concept with the potential for many advantages for your business. Beyond enhancing brand visibility, sponsorship allows you to forge community ties through charitable activities and fundraising efforts. This association can result in increased dealership traffic, as customers develop a positive perception of your brand.
Similarly, hosting events at your dealership is an alternative avenue to explore. Transforming your dealership into a venue for free events can attract a diverse pool of potential customers. The favorable impression of your brand, coupled with effective relationship-building strategies, can translate into a high conversion rate of clients for your business. Naturally, preparing eye-catching visual materials is essential, which may involve enlisting professional photographers, utilizing trusted car photography retouching services, and collaborating with designers and promotional experts.
3. Tax return promotion
This is one of the most unique dealership promotion ideas. The tax season presents a huge opportunity for car dealerships to stage sales events, as individuals often have more disposable income due to their tax returns. Therefore, by launching a special tax return promotion, motivate them to put a down payment on their preferred vehicle based on your finalized terms.
It’s essential to recognize that not all customers will receive substantial returns, or some might even incur losses. However, this segment should not be overlooked. You can attract these clients by offering discounted oil changes or the chance to participate in contests with prizes like free tire changes for a year. This demonstrates that your business caters to a wide range of customers, not solely those with significant budgets.
4. Provide a test drive offer
Test-drive incentives are a creative car sales idea that can increase your sales. You can implement this by offering incentives to prospective customers who test drive a specific make or model at your dealership, or for those who bring a friend along with them to try a potential purchase.
You can reward people with gift cards, sweepstake entries, or sponsored prizes. This promotion can be advertised online through your social platforms as a lead generation campaign, followed by an email campaign targeted toward interested prospects.
5. Referral incentives
These incentives are one of the few good event marketing for dealership examples. This marketing not only proves cost-effective but also garners trust as it comes from a friend or family member’s recommendation. These referrals can cultivate lasting brand loyalty. Therefore, Promote an exciting offer where anyone who refers a prospective customer to your dealership, resulting in a purchase, will be rewarded with prizes such as event tickets, gift cards, or complimentary services. To enhance accessibility, share a digital business card featuring dealership contact details, event tickets, and rewards on your website and social media platforms.
6. Give a free car safety clinic
Free car seat safety clinics are a practical car dealership event idea to draw families to your business. Within a community, there will always be new parents who are learning how to best keep their baby safe. Auto safety plays a huge role in this.
Hosting an event to teach parents how to correctly install car seats for children is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase both your product and care for your client’s safety. Installation can be demonstrated in a range of different vehicles targeted toward new and growing families.
7. Provide free gas
Providing complimentary gasoline to individuals who buy a car within a designated timeframe is a clever and successful marketing strategy for auto dealers. This type of offer not only motivates potential buyers to decide but also sets your dealership apart from rivals.
Another variation of this promotion involves offering free gasoline to customers in exchange for placing your advertisement on their vehicles. The advertisement should be prominently displayed, and the vehicle must meet specific monthly mileage requirements to qualify. Such marketing approaches significantly enhance brand visibility.
8. Year-end promotion
Many individuals know that the year’s end presents a golden opportunity to snag a deal on a new vehicle. Therefore, it’s crucial to brainstorm car dealership event ideas that can drive sales.
One intriguing suggestion is to host a holiday-themed Wheel of Fortune event exclusively for customers who’ve made purchases at the dealership over the course of the year. Every customer would be invited to spin the Wheel of Fortune, offering them the chance to win various instant prizes, including the grand prize. Potential great prizes could include discounts on new purchases, a year’s worth of free gas or services, and more. You can also give them a new year car deals, giving extra discount offers on cars
9. Creative promotion
Themed events are imaginative and have proven effective in capturing people’s attention. This kind of car dealership event concept can seamlessly integrate into your schedule, allowing you to host various themes every few months to align with the changing seasons.
10. Pick up promotion
Introducing a pickup and drop-off promotion is a great car dealership event concept that can generate favorable perceptions of your dealership.
This initiative involves collecting a customer’s vehicle, transporting it to the dealership for service, and returning it once it is complete. You can implement this event for a predetermined duration, targeting random customers within the vicinity or specific industry groups.
11. Rental car offer
Taking every chance to simplify customer interactions with your business is essential. That’s why another significant concept is to launch a limited-time premium rental car promotion during service appointments. Conducting such an event demonstrates your understanding of your customers’ hectic schedules, which often revolve around their vehicles.
12. Celebration of dealership anniversary
Another great year in business is undoubtedly a cause for celebration. You can even craft a car dealership event concept to maximize this sales opportunity.
Holding this celebration right at your dealership and extending invitations to your valued customers will enable you to highlight all your company’s achievements, showcase your diverse product lineup, and engage in meaningful conversations with your clients.
13. Exposure of billboard
Billboard exposure is one of best event marketing for dealership examples. Combining marketing through billboards with car dealers can be a highly profitable strategy. Billboards are positioned in such a manner that manner that people in the traffic can clearly see them.
14. Targeting uber and lyft
One of the most unique ways of marketing is targeting Uber and lyft drivers. It can be highly advantageous for dealerships situated in busy areas. Organizing an event featuring tailored deals and promotions for these drivers will likely pique their interest and result in sales.
15. Giveaways related to maintenance
Giving a maintenance package giveaway is an event idea designed to boost sales by motivating customers to make a purchase decision before missing out on a good opportunity.
Incorporating a maintenance giveaway into purchasing a new vehicle can attract customers who have hesitated to commit to a purchase. This added incentive can nudge them toward the decision to choose your dealership. The giveaway might encompass complimentary tire rotations, oil changes, or lifetime detailing to help maintain the newness of their vehicle for an extended period.
16. Giving driving courses
As part of an event marketing for dealership strategy, offering free safe driving courses to potential new car buyers and current dealership customers can be a huge benefit to all parties involved.
Not only does this give customers the opportunity to learn important life-saving skills, it also offers them the chance to test drive newer car models and potentially upgrade their current vehicle. When weather conditions are difficult, driving can be especially dangerous if drivers aren’t properly equipped. By offering safe driving courses during these conditions, customers can learn how to react and handle their vehicles in a controlled environment.
17. Animal adoption events
This can be a great way to attract all those animal lovers and also contribute towards a better society. You can collaborate with local shelters to sponsor an event.
18. A 5k run
Consider organizing a 5k run that commences and concludes at your dealership to engage with the running (and walking) enthusiasts in your community. You can even turn it into a fundraising event for a cause you deeply care about and provide participants with custom-designed T-shirts to wear during the event.
Conclusion
In conclusion, event marketing for car dealerships offers a dynamic approach to engage customers, enhance brand presence, and drive sales. By embracing innovative ideas and delivering valuable experiences, dealerships can thrive in today’s competitive automotive industry while contributing to its growth and innovation.
